


But You Did

by Taimat



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M, Merman Dan, besides the tail, he's still afraid of sharks, mer!dan, not all that much changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-12
Updated: 2015-12-12
Packaged: 2018-05-06 08:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5409617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taimat/pseuds/Taimat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"What are you?" The question made Dan flinch, and the hurt in his eyes was so very real, so familiar, that it made Arin's heart ache. "No, shit, I'm sorry. That was a dick move."</p>
<p>(Actual merman Dan things that I needed to get out of my system because how could I not?)</p>
            </blockquote>





	But You Did

**Author's Note:**

> I'm also Taimat on tumblr. Come say hi, if you like~
> 
> This first part isn't all that shippy. That will change.

"Barry!" Dan's voice echoed from the bathroom. "Do me a solid and grab my phone? I forgot it."

Arin glanced over at Barry, who was currently passed out on the sofa with no apparent plans to move. According to Barry, Dan had been taking a bath when Arin came over, which, okay, a midday bath seemed a little weird to him, but who was he to judge?

"Barryyyy..." It was hedging on whining now, and Arin sighed, sparing one last glance at Barry before grabbing Dan's phone, laying on the table, and striding to the bathroom.

As Arin turned the doorknob, Dan began, "Thanks, man, I was--" He stopped short as soon as he saw that it was Arin, and not Barry.

There was a squeak, a splash, and a wet slap against the tiled walls of the tub, and then it was silent while Dan and Arin stared at each other.

Arin set Dan's phone on the counter so that he didn't either drop it or crush it. Possibly unlikely, but it seemed like reality had fled, for the time being.

Dan giggled nervously when Arin's silence dragged on. "It, uh, well. This is kind of...exactly...what it looks like?" he offered.

Arin closed his eyes, took a deep breath, released it, then tried looking at Dan again. Nope. Still the same. "Oh," was all he managed before sinking down to sit on the floor.

In the bath, Dan hadn't moved, his entire body tensed and wary, from his hands gripping onto the porcelain edge, to his wide eyes, to the giant tail that was curling up to rest against the wall.

"What are you?" The question made Dan flinch, and the hurt in his eyes was so very real, so familiar, that it made Arin's heart ache. "No, shit, I'm sorry. That was a dick move."

Dan sighed. "It's okay. I get it." His whole body curled in on itself, like he was trying to hide everything below the surface of the water, and it made Arin feel even worse.

This was Dan. This was still his best goddamn friend, even if Arin had little to no idea what was going on right now. He crawled forward, even as Dan shrank back from him, and only just refrained from reaching out and touching him. "I really am sorry. It's still you. I was just surprised and...and so confused. I'm still confused. What's happening, Dan?"

Dan gestured jerkily toward his tail. "I'm...this."

"But, like...when? How?"

"Just for a bit, today. I start getting all itchy and needing a good soak, and I didn't have much planned for today, so I thought it'd be okay if I changed for a little while. Didn't know you were coming over, man. I would've, uh...not."

"Wait, wait." Arin shook his head. "This isn't a recent thing? Like, no crazy science experiments or aliens or something?"

Dan laughed, then. It was a soft, fragile thing, but it was there. "Arin, I've always been like this. But I would like to avoid the whole science experiment thing, so if you could keep this all, you know, kinda secret, that'd be great."

"But I've seen you naked before."

"O...okay?"

"And you had legs."

"Yes. Arin, it's a controlled change. I usually have legs."

"Oh. So, like...you can get them back?"

"My legs? Yeah, man."

That was Arin's only warning before Dan's tail seemed to be stretching and pulling at itself. It was unsettling to watch, but Arin refused to look away, just...just in case. In moments, it was regular old Dan curled up in the tub, long legs scrunched up awkwardly so he could fit.

Something in Arin's chest seemed to relax, and he couldn't help reaching out to stroke down one of Dan's arms.

"You're okay?"

Dan giggled. "Yeah. Probably more okay than you are, right now. You're not gonna faint on me, are you?"

"Fuck you." Arin grinned. This was good. This was familiar. "But seriously, I've got some major questions. Like, how the fuck is my best friend a mermaid and no one fucking told me?"

"Well, uh, Barry's the only other one of us who knows. Found out by accident. And like, my family, of course."

"So...are your parents...?"

"Duh." Dan grinned at him. "What, you think this is some kind of crazy mutation that just happens? No, I'm one hundred percent weird merperson, born and raised."

Arin huffed. "It's not that weird. I mean, I still like you."

"Good to know." Dan leaned forward, resting his head on his arms on the edge of the tub, nearly face-to-face with Arin. "I would've been really sad if you didn't."

Arin brushed his fingers across one sharp cheekbone, across Dan's shoulder, down his side. "Can I see it again?"

Dan didn't look away, didn't break eye contact the entire time he changed. Like he was trying to gauge Arin's reaction. But the second time, it was much less alarming and much more interesting. And Arin's curiosity quickly rose to the fore.

Dan was...beautiful. And ethereal. And so very different from Arin's concept of mermaids.

His tail wasn't scaled. That was the first thing Arin noticed. It was a coppery brown color, paler on the bottom than on the top, but rather than the tiny metallic reflections that scales would have brought, it shimmered only with the sheen of wet skin. The fin at the end was solid, bony like a dolphin's, and it twitched as Arin continued to stare.

"So..."

"You're not fishy."

Dan blinked at him for a moment before breaking out in a real laugh. "Dude, I'm still a mammal. Why would I have scales and shit?"

Arin pouted at him, which only made Dan laugh harder, and he swung his tail around to gently whack Arin in the head with it. Arin grabbed at it with a cry of victory, and Dan just giggled and shifted to accommodate the new position.

"So like, your whole preoccupation with mermaids and stuff."

Dan shrugged. "It's kinda like I get to be myself a little. Makes me feel more...normal, I guess. And also, the common depictions of merpeople are hilariously fascinating."

"You're not sad you don't have a big, beautiful, blue tail?"

Another shrug. "Maybe a bit? It'd be cool, but I don't lose sleep over it or anything. I mean, are you sad you're not actually pink and covered in sparkles?"

Arin could see his point, but still, some of that shiny blue nonsense would've been pretty sweet. And while Dan spoke, Arin couldn't help but keep touching him. The feel of him was honestly not that different from every other time Arin had touched him, save for the fact that he was wet. Dan was warm and smooth, and Arin had started petting him idly without really realizing it.

If he minded the scrutiny, Dan didn't say so. Instead, he relaxed back with a sigh, seemingly content with the attention.

Arin's eyes traced the path his fingers took, following along the elegant curves of Dan's tail fin, up the long column of muscle to his dorsal--

Oh.

Arin's fingers froze along with the rest of him.

The fin that adorned Dan's lower back was mostly intact, but it was laced with deep ridges that looked like they had been carved into him. Every one ended with a jagged edge where the rest of the fin should've been. Looking harder now, Arin could see that the markings along Dan's right side, the ones he'd thought were stripes, weren't actually stripes at all. They were scars. The pale lines bit deepest around Dan's hip before fading away along his underside, and it wasn't until he pressed his hand to them that he realized Dan was trembling.

Arin met Dan's eyes in question, and Dan gave him a shaky smile. "I really, really hate sharks."

His breath caught, his stomach clenched, and before he really knew what he was doing, Arin had grabbed Dan up in a tight hug that sent water splashing all over the floor, but Arin didn't even care. He couldn't. Because the most important thing was that Dan was here in his arms, living and breathing and a little worse for wear but so very alive.

"Arin?" Dan didn't pull away, though he wasn't returning the hug, either. "Arin, there's water everywhere."

"Fuck it, man."

With a giggle, Dan relaxed and brought his wet arms around Arin's shoulders. "Okay, then."

Arin didn't know how long they stayed that way, but at some point, he must've started shivering from the cold because Dan pushed away from him gently to tug at his wet shirt.

"Once upon a time, this water was warm, but that was indeed a long time ago. So I'm gonna get out, if that's cool with you."

Blinking down at him, Arin managed only a nod.

"So, I know my junk is impressive and hypnotizing and stuff, but would you mind handing me that towel?"

That shook Arin out of his stupor, and he quickly passed off the fluffy blue towel before exiting the bathroom, trying to give Dan some privacy. He consciously ignored the fact that he'd been practically pawing at Dan's naked merman body only a short while before.

When Dan finally came striding out of the bathroom, legs and all, it was to an Arin who was practically bouncing on his toes with excitement, still soaked with bath water.

"Dan. Dan, I have so many questions."

 

~~~~~~~

 

When all was said and done, and Arin was trying to rack his brain for anything he hadn't already asked, perhaps the most surprising thing was how much nothing had changed. Apart from the whole tail thing, Dan was still Dan. And when Arin said as much, Dan just laughed, ruffling a hand through his still-drying mane of hair.

"I dunno what you expected, man."

"But you hate water!"

"I hate sharks," Dan corrected.

"Is that why we never go to the beach?"

Dan sighed and went to join Arin on the edge of his bed, sitting down close enough their shoulders brushed. "Partly. And also because, seeing all that open water... It's really hard not to change. Which would probably be a bad idea."

"Oh." Arin bit his lip. "I wanna see you swim."

Dan's eyes were wide when they met Arin's. "Yeah?"

"Fuck yeah, man. It'd be awesome as shit. Some grade-A fairytale stuff."

Dan snorted and shoved his shoulder harder into Arin's. "Maybe someday, then."

Something about the unabashed joy that his response brought Arin had Dan's insides fluttering, so he quickly looked down at the floor.

"Dude. One more question."

"Shoot."

"When you're a merperson, where does your dick go?"

And that made Dan collapse backward in a fit of laughter. "Now that, my friend, is something you are not getting to see."


End file.
